Metis Class Destroyer / Light Cruiser Picture

“Way over yonder in the middle east,They sure got a big dog he’s quite the beast!Nowhere to hide, No where to run, when he blows you to kingdom come,Let the Big Dog Eat! WOOOOOO!”-Alex Taylor, cover of “Let the Big Dog Eat” (The theme song of all Metis Class warships)

History

When launched in 2013, the Metis class was lauded as a great achievement in shipbuilding as it was the first true starship built by the SSC. The lessons learned from contact with the Oo’Ol and the Ihkhlwa prompted the need for a real starship design and thus the Metis, which was very forward thinking at the time, came into service. The design was also the first to be built completely in space, and was unable to make planetary landings. The vessels of this class were of course named for the titan of Greek Mythology Metis and likewise each was named for a specific titan thereof. Part of the reasoning for it at the time was simply that the Metis was the largest vessel constructed at the time and despite this it was also classed a destroyer for its combat role as opposed to it’s size. As with anything else technology advanced rapidly after the introduction of the Metis and other designs soon delegated the rapidly aging vessel to lighter combat roles and eventually to storage within the mothball fleet. Despite this time has been kind to the Metis in a way as it is the only vessel in the mothball fleet that no one has ever dared propose being scrapped. In the short frontline service of twenty years the vessels of the Metis class have racked up numerous victories, and achieved battlefield acclaim that even the more modern Umbra class cannot hope to eclipse. Ironically while other ships come and go, the mothballed members of the Metis class; full numbers unknown remain in storage with periodic refits to keep them up to date not unlike sleeping titans for whom they are named, waiting for their chance to rise again against a threat and prove their worth.

Overview

Current threats have spurred rapid refitting of the entire mothballed fleet of Metis Class and a reclassification to Light Cruiser. Despite this the craft is no less effective then it was though it’s chief strengths and elegant design are more appreciated then they were at the inception of the craft. While little is known of what refits and upgrades have been made to the members of the metis class it is likely that the armor has been upgraded and sheild generators installed. It is also likely that the early all-energy load out of the design has been brought to modern standards while the craft’s cavernous small craft bays left as is or increased. It is also safe to assume that then propulsion systems have been upgraded as well granting the Metis class a lease on life. Of course all of this is conjecture as the vessels of this class have not been seen since their transfer to the Mothball fleet in 2032. Only three examples of this craft remain in the public eye and all thre have been converted to museum ships. The Odyssey is in orbit near Mars, the Pompeii sits in orbit near the alpha centarui colonies and the namesake of the class the Metis is on earth. For note the Metis, was the flagship of the SSC fleet for all of the entire twenty years of service for the class. The vessel was disassembled painstakingly and shipped down to earth and reassembled and then braced to handle earth’s normal gravity. The SSCS Metis sits in the Crosse Wartime Museum on level 45 within the Hub itself. The vessel itself is still open to visitors every day 24 hours a day. It has been estimated that more blood has been spilled by the metis class or in it's tightly packed corridors then any other combat vessel in human history.